249 AL: King's Landing
Five year old Prince Vaelarr ran as fast his little legs could carry him, he enjoyed running through the Red Keep during the day even when he was supposed to be at lessons, but he did find the lessons with Grandmaester Pycelle rather boring, to Vaelarr Pycelle was just a stuffy old man who spent too much time with his head in books. He was nowhere near as interesting to the prince as his uncle Duncan, or even the knights of the Kingsguard were, to Vaelarr they were his heroes and he deeply looked up to and respected them.
His favourite activity had been one that he just been allowed to do by his grandfather, he would practice with Ser Marthen Velaryon the Red Keeps master-at- arms, with his uncle Duncan's son Matarys who was slightly older than Vaelarr, but Vaelarr found that whilst Matarys liked sword fighting he preferred fighting with a mace. When he had asked his grandfather for a mace for his last nameday his grandfather's friend Ser Galend had simply laughed and said that Vaelarr reminded him of Vaelarr's great grandfather King Maekar.
That had made Vaelarr's chest swell with pride, from the stories his father and grandmother told him about his great grandfather, King Maekar seemed like an honourable man and a fierce fighter, one whom Vaelarr one day wished to be just like.
Vaelarr's thoughts were taken away from his great grandfather, by the sound of footsteps just behind, hearing them he ran as fast he could down the hallways of the Red Keep. He and his brother and sister and cousin Matarys were playing hide and seek, and Matarys was it, and Vaelarr didn't want to be caught, so he ran faster till he came to a room with an open door, running straight into the room, Vaelarr hid behind the door of the room and waited for the footsteps to pass.
Vaelarr tried with all his might to slow his breathing down and quietly too so that it wouldn't draw the footsteps that he recognised as his cousin Matarys toward the room where he was hidden. As he heard his cousin's footsteps walk past the place where he was hidden Vaelarr breathed a sigh of relief, he wasn't going to be it for the time being. However, just before he could step out of the room to see if it was clear for him to run back to his room, he heard heavy footsteps about to walk past the room again, and so he hid and waited for the footsteps to walk past, but when they didn't Vaelarr began to grow curious, so risking being made it by Matarys, Vaelarr moved closer to the edge of the door, and was surprised to hear voices. These voices he heard sounded much deeper and rougher than the voices of either his cousin Matarys or his brother Aerys and the words they spoke, sounded distinctly strange to Vaelarr's five year old ears.
"What news from our magister across the sea?"
"Good tidings, it appears our prince has been gathering men to his cause for a few moons now."
"That is good and when can they come to reap havoc on the usurper?"
"Not soon enough it would appear, the prince has inherited some of his forbearer's stubbornness about 'doing it right'."
At this Vaelarr noted that one of the rough voiced men laughed and replied "Doing it right, indeed, doing it right didn't go well at Redgrass, and it won't go well now, we need to make sure he understands that."
"Alas my friend it appears that the boy's uncles have been instilling such virtues that have been lacking in the most recent of our rightful Kings. It appears that he intends to marry one of the great houses once the plan is successful."
"Well that should be no trouble whatsoever, the King means to send his grandson to Casterly Rock to foster under the Weak Lion, that should admittedly cause dissent amongst some of the nobles. All we need to do is give them a valid excuse to not want another usurper on the throne and then he can come in and rescue the day."
"Your suggestion is amiable my friend, but pray tell where and how will we get this excuse you speak of? The King has never been more popular than he is now, admittedly some of the nobles are a bit annoyed that he has allowed his sons to marry for love, but then again they do not wish to do anything to incur the Iron Throne's wrath. How will we build them up so they have the confidence to?"
"Ah but you see my friend, there is exactly how we do it. The fool allowed his sons to marry for love, and his heir married that girl from Oldstones, even if the common populace love them, that move severly angered the Reach, and it has been known for some time that they can muster the greatest amount of men in all of the kingdoms. All we need to do is plant the seeds of doubt in their minds and they will come flocking to our cause."
"Very well then, that is what we should do."
Prince Vaelarr pulled away from the door and moved further into the room, thoroughly confused by what he had just heard, who were those men and why were talking about things across the sea? And why did they keep mentioning his grandfather the King?
Vaelarr was unsure of these things, but as he noticed that the men's voices had seemingly moved away from where he was hiding, he decided to venture outside. Noticing that the hallway was empty he decided to see where everyone else was and began to run in the direction of the Great Hall.
Prince Vaelarr did not notice the man he ran past, who had been hiding in the shadows listening to the two men conversing and speaking treason. But it mattered not for how many eyes does the crow have? A thousand eyes and one.
